


Seoul Food

by YumiTheDragonGirl



Series: Adventures of the Besties [1]
Category: The Secret World
Genre: Comfort/Angst, Family Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 21:23:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12197688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumiTheDragonGirl/pseuds/YumiTheDragonGirl
Summary: Two sisters strengthen their bond over a meal together on a stormy night.





	Seoul Food

Rain pounded hard against the window of Yumi’s apartment.  A storm was once again hanging over the city of Seoul.  The air outside was damp and chilly, but inside the apartment was quite warm.  Yumi had not long ago returned from a mission in the Besieged Farmlands of Transylvania, where it had also been raining.  Upon returning home to more rain, she had changed out of her soaked exploration clothes and into an oversized shirt and sweatpants.  She ran her fingers through her still damp hair as she stirred a pot containing the curry she had prepared for dinner.

 

_Bzzzzt._

 

Her phone vibrated on the counter next to the stove.  She reached over and slid her finger across the screen.  There was a new message from her sister, Ursus.

 

_“Just handed in my report.  See you in a bit.”_

 

Yumi turned off the stove and covered the pot before hastily typing a reply.

 

_“Ok.  It’s raining again, stay warm.”_

 

She stowed her phone in her pocket and grabbed two bowls out of the cabinet and scooped a generous amount of rice into both of them.  She then took both bowls to the stove and poured the thick curry sauce over the rice, making sure to get a good amount of vegetables and meat in each scoop.  As she set the bowls down on the bar, a firm knock came from the door.  Yumi scurried over to let her sister in.

 

“That was fast.  Eager to come see me, huh?” Yumi snickered as she ushered the taller woman inside.

 

“Oh you,” Ursus scoffed as she gave her little sister a noogie.  “I ran over here so I wouldn’t get soaked.  Speaking of which, your hair’s wet, did they send you out today?”

 

“Yeah, investigation in Transylvania; nothing too complicated, but it was pouring over there too,” Yumi sighed.  “I like rain, but not when I have to run around in it, you know?”

 

Ursus nodded.  “Rain’s nice when you’re not outside getting wet.  Anyways, what did you make?  It smells great.”

 

“Curry, hope you like it,” Yumi said proudly as she gestured at the bowls she had set out for them.

 

Ursus smiled and took her seat at the bar with Yumi.  She took a large spoonful of the curry into her mouth, taking time to savor the flavors before swallowing.

 

“It’s great, Yumi,” Ursus commented, giving her sibling a pat on the head.

 

“Glad you like it,” Yumi laughed as she gently pushed Ursus’s hand away.  “It’s actually pretty easy to make.  I could show you sometime if you want.”

 

The two ate in silence for a while until both of them had their fill.  Yumi took the dishes to the sink while Ursus put the leftovers in the fridge.  Ursus couldn’t help but notice how Yumi was taking an unusually long time washing one of the bowls.

 

“...You okay there Yumi?” she asked softly, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

 

Yumi paused, then put the bowl in the dish rack before answering.  “...It’s just…  I can never quite get it right.  It feels like there’s something missing…”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“...When my mom made curry, there was something about it.  Something I haven’t been able to reproduce when I make it.”  Yumi’s voice caught slightly as she spoke.  She clenched her fists and turned her face away from Ursus.

 

Ursus quickly pulled her sibling into a tight hug, stroking her head to try to calm her down.  She could feel the smaller woman’s breathing growing uneven and erratic as she buried her face into her chest.

 

“Shhhh…  It’s okay, I’m here…”  Ursus looked down at Yumi’s head sadly.  This wasn’t the first time she had seen Yumi break down over thoughts of her mother.  Back when the two had first met, Yumi had told her about her past and how she lost her mother during the bombing of Tokyo.  Of course, at that time, neither of them were aware that they were related, so Yumi held back on the emotions she let show.  But now that they were together as family, she was much more open about her feelings.  That still didn’t make it any easier to see her one and only sister so upset.

 

Yumi pulled away and took a few deep breaths until her breathing was back to normal.  “...Sorry,” she mumbled as she leaned back into Ursus.  “I just…  I miss her, Onee-chan.”

“I know Yumi, I know,” Ursus whispered.  “Your mom was important to you.  I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you…”

 

Yumi shook her head.  “No, no, don’t worry about it,” she apologized, wiping away a stray tear.  “Besides, I have you now.  You and the others from Fashion Check.”  She gave Ursus a forced smile as reassurance.

 

Ursus responded by scooping her little sister into her arms and giving her a kiss on the forehead.  “Got that right.  And you’re not gonna get rid of us any time soon.”

 

She carried her over to the couch and plopped her down before tickling her stomach.  Yumi erupted into giggles as she tried to push Ursus’s hands away, squirming as she attacked her sensitive sides.  After a few minutes, Ursus finally relented and sat down next to Yumi on the couch, allowing her to rest her head in her lap.  As Yumi caught her breath, Ursus stroked her hair gently.

 

“Oh, speaking of Fashion Check,” Yumi spoke up.  “...Have things been okay with you and Niirah?”

 

Ursus froze for half of a second.  “O-of course they have.  Why do you ask?”

 

Yumi let out a sigh.  “I’ve told you about the dreams I have, haven’t I?  How they can sometimes be premonitions?”

 

Ursus gave a slow, hesitant nod.

 

“A couple nights ago, I had a dream that you and Niirah were walking through a fog.  Not a Filthy fog like in Kingsmouth, just a normal fog.  I tried to reach out to you two, but the fog suddenly turned into a blizzard and I lost sight of you two.  ...Did something happen between you two?”

 

Ursus took a minute before answering.  “It was nothing really.  We just got a bit drunk and said some things that we might not have said if we were sober.”

 

Yumi raised an eyebrow.  “Oh?  Is that all?” she questioned.  “I assume there was an impromptu sleepover too, then?”

 

“Hey, you cuddle with her too, you nerd,” Ursus retorted.  “And actually, there were two separate sleepovers.”

“Oh my~,” Yumi snickered, a sly grin creeping across her face.  “I didn’t know you two were _that_ close.”

 

“Shush you,” Ursus quipped, lightly smacking her face with a cushion.  “You know Niirah’s not into that.”

 

“I’m just kidding, Onee-chan,” Yumi giggled.  “But really though, nothing else happened with you guys?  I feel like a dream like that would have some kind of implication…”

 

“Nope, just two friends getting drunk and spilling some secrets,” she reiterated with a shake of her head.

 

Yumi cast a look of doubt at her sister, but decided against pressing it any further.

 

“Alright, but just let me know next time the two of you get anywhere near alcohol so I can keep an eye on you.”

 

“Fine, but if I’m getting drunk, I’m probably gonna end up smoking too.”

 

“...If you blow any of it into my face again, I’m casting Whiteout on the whole room.”

 

“...Fair enough.”

 

Yumi sat up and looked out the window.  Night had fallen and rain was still pounding against the glass, along with the occasional sound of rolling thunder.

 

“Sonnac won’t mind if you stay the night, right?”

 

“Probably not,” Ursus shrugged.  “He almost never calls me at night for anything.”

 

“Good, because you’re not leaving until this storm passes,” Yumi said as she threw the spare blanket that was draped over the back of the couch onto them.  She snuggled up to her big sister and the two watched some TV together until they both eventually nodded off.

  


Yumi awoke the next morning sitting semi-upright in Ursus’s lap with her chin resting on the larger woman’s chest.  Ursus was sitting cross-legged on the couch, her arms wrapped around Yumi to keep her from slipping off her lap.  She had apparently woken up first and changed the TV to a channel that was broadcasting some cheap action movies.

 

“Morning YumYum.  Have a good night’s sleep?” she asked, ruffling Yumi’s hair.

 

“Yeah, very good,” Yumi snorted.  “I should be asking you that.  I practically slept on top of you.”

 

“Eh, you’re lighter than Niirah at least,” she scoffed, which earned her a light hit from her sibling.  “Jokes aside, I slept surprisingly well.”

 

“That’s good, I can at least protect you from the nightmares,” Yumi said with a grin.  She got up off of Ursus’s lap and stretched, cracking her back a couple times.  “You want anything to eat before you head out?  I can make you something really quick.”

 

“Nah, I’ll be fine,” she replied.  “I have some leftover tacos I’ve been meaning to finish.”

 

“Alright, suit yourself.”  Yumi reached for the remote to turn off the TV.  Just as Ursus turned the handle of her apartment door, a thought struck her.  “...Hey, Ursus?”

 

Ursus stopped, not used to hearing Yumi actually call her by her name.  “What is it, Yumi?”

 

“...If anything’s ever on your mind, come talk to me about it, okay?  You’ve been there for me at my worst, I wanna be there for you too.”

 

Ursus was silent for a moment, then smiled and gave her sister a big hug.  “Sure, I promise.”

 

With that, the sisters bid farewell to each other for the day.  Their respective factions would likely keep them busy for a while before they could have time off to see each other again.  As Ursus approached the Agartha entrance, the clouds broke over Seoul, giving the waterlogged city a chance to dry out before the next storm rolled in.


End file.
